Bachasson looks smart in Galway opener

Bachasson got favourite backers off to the perfect start at the Galway festival when running out an easy winner of the opening Galwaybayhotel & Radisson Novice Hurdle at Ballybrit.

The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was a solid 5/4 shot for the two-mile contest for four-year-olds and moved smoothly into the lead going to the second last.

Market rival Zafayan (11/8) was under pressure to go second at the penultimate flight and never looked a danger in the straight.

Ruby Walsh asked Bachasson for an effort after the last and he powered clear for a 16-length success.

The winner is owned by Edward O'Connell and carries the same colours as super-star chaser Un De Sceaux.

Mullins said afterwards:- "This seems to be another lucky purchase. He didn't cost the earth but he's able to go and able to jump.

"He won two mile-and-a-half races in France at country tracks rather than metropolitan tracks but they seem to have been lucky again."

Asked to compare him with last year's winner Mckinley, a subsequent Grade 1 winner, Mullins added:-

"This fella could be better. He has surprised me, he surprised me the day he won in Sligo. I was hoping he might win but it was the manner he won.

"It was very unusual for Ruby to do what he did today. With a circuit to go he pulled wide and went up the outside of them all. He felt they weren't going fast enough, had him boxed in, in a pocket and were trying to slow down the pace.

"He pulled out went wide and he raced the whole way up the back, into the straight and up the straight again. That's a fair performance from any horse I think.

"He took no prisoners but that's the kind of confidence he was giving Ruby to be able to do that.

"We'll look for a nice novice for him now."

Walsh said:- "I thought we were going quite steady over the first couple of hurdles. Robbie had me in a pocket and I couldn't quite get out. I had to cut back behind him and come around him and then put a bit of pace into the race.

"We were going quite slow. I thought walking it it was only good to yielding for jumping and that's how it rode on my horse so I was anxious to be stepping on the pace a bit.

"He's a AQPS bumper winner in France and has plenty of stamina in his pedigree. I don't know how good of a race it was but he's two from two and can't do anymore.

"I don't think he was the dearest horse and he's an exciting horse to own."

(Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)